January17, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) and Sen. Rand Paul released the following statement following the introduction of the Uphold Our Promise to Veterans Act, S. ____ and H.R. 3807. This bill would repeal the provisions under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces cost-of-living adjustments below inflation for retired veterans under 62 years of age and restore funding by eliminating foreign to aid to certain countries and authorizing the sale of some Federal lands.

“Those who have spent their lives protecting the rest of us should be the last to sacrifice what they have earned in order to pay for even more Washington spending. Congress should instead cut the billions in aid to countries who are not our friends, like Pakistan. This bill would restore this crucial funding by using the billions in foreign aid that we give Egypt and Pakistan each year. We don’t need to pay our enemies to hate us, they’ll do it for free. This legislation would also require the federal government to systematically sell some of its unused and unmaintained land (excluding National Parks and historical sites). Currently, the federal government owns 27% of the total land in our country (equivalent to the size of Western Europe). If this unused land was sold day it could generate up to $1.1 trillion. Selling this land could also inject money back into state and local economies by creating new economic opportunities on this dormant federal land,” Rep. Poe said.

“In a failed effort to save $6.2 billion over the next ten years, Congress and the President broke a financial promise to the veterans of this nation with the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. In addition to stripping veterans of their promised retirement compensations, the budget does not balance the budget and raises taxes for all Americans,” Sen Paul said. “We owe it to the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces to protect their livelihood, just as they have protected ours– and the Uphold Our Promise to Veterans Act will do just that. I will continue to do all I can in support of our nation’s veterans.”